Class Practice for Junior High School to Introduce Programming with Tablet Device and micro:bit

Abstract

　Programming education in junior high schools has been made compulsory since the 2021 school year. However, teachers are concerned about the lack of budget, teaching materials, and resources. Teachers also expressed concern about the effective use of the ICT environment. In this study, we applied micro:bit and tablet devices as a low-cost environment for programming practice. We introduce the class environment and contents in our practice. As an evaluation of the class practice, we conducted a questionnaire, a quiz, and an interview with the teachers. The results showed that the tablet device facilitated interaction among students in group activities and made it easier for them to learn programming. On the other hand, we revealed issues to be improved in terms of class time and difficulty level.